A steak is a steak, right? Well, not exactly. There are many benefits to buying local grass-fed beef. For one thing, you can be sure the cows are treated humanely. Another thing is that grass-fed meat has a bolder flavor without being overly fatty.
A top local meat purveyor is Drew George who, in 2014, started FarmEats, a company that delivers New York pasture-raised beef to your door.
The FarmEats cows come from Sweet Tree Farm in Schoharie County (just west of Albany County), where they are raised without confinement and humanely slaughtered. The beef is dry-aged for two weeks and then flash-frozen. Of course, there are choice cuts, like porterhouse steaks ($25 per pound), filet mignon ($29 per pound), and brisket ($11 per pound). But this is a nose-to-tail operation, so beef hearts ($5 per pound), liver ($5 per pound), and bones ($5 per pound)—which are perfect for slow-simmering stock—are also available.
FarmEats delivers all over Westchester County; orders placed online typically arrive within two business days. “I want to educate people about how to cook grass-fed beef,” says George. To that end, he includes a wealth of cooking information on his website, plus recipes for everything from grass-fed beef fajitas, and beef stew with smoked paprika, to the perfect grass-fed burger.